TC 9639 Thermal Cycler

Transcription

1 TC 9639 Thermal Cycler User Manual Document Version 1.4

2 Contents About This Manual 4 A Instrument Overview 1. Instrument Components Menu Overview B Getting Started 1. Installation Site Requirements Unpack Thermal Cycler Power On and Power Off Open and Close Lid Home Screen C Manage Folders and Programs 1. Manage Folder Program Library Screen Add Folder Rename Folder Delete Folder Manage Program View Program Screen Rename Program Copy Program Delete Program View Last Run Programs D Programming 1. Create New Program Edit Program Screen Set Temperature Control Mode and Lid Temperature Add Step Constant Temperature Step Set Cycle Benchmark Thermal Cycler User Manual

3 1.5 Edit Step Delete Step Save Program Edit Program Program Wizard Function E Run Program 1. Load Samples into the Instrument Select Program to Run View Run State and Control Run View Run State Run Screen View Run Timer View Bar Chart of Sample Block Temperature View Temperature Record Curve View Run Report Control Run Pause Run Skip Run Step Stop Run Run Program Again F System Setting 1. System Setting Screen About Incubation Gradient Calculator View Report Tm Calculator Check Configure Shortcut Admin Options Access Control Thermal Cycler Name/IP Set Date/Time Run-time Accuracy User Message Benchmark Thermal Cycler User Manual 3

4 About This Manual Please read the manual carefully before using the Thermal Cycler! Purpose of This This manual provides instructions on how to set up and use the Benchmark Thermal Manual Cycler. Benchmark reserves the right to modify this manual at any time without prior notice. This manual uses the following conventions: Bold text indicates user operation. For example: Touch Ok to accept changes and return to last screen. Provides instructions that draw your attention or may be helpful. For example: When the instrument is set aside for a long time, disconnect the power cable from the socket. IMPORTANT! Provides information that must be read carefully. Failure to follow the information will possibly result in damage to the instrument or the user. For example: IMPORTANT! Turn the lid knob counterclockwise to loosen the lid before opening to prevent damage to the lid. IMPORTANT! To prevent electric shock, turn off the unit and disconnect the power supply prior to cleaning. Suggested Operation Best Operating Angle For optimum screen performance and visibility, the angle shown at the left is suggested for operation. Support Information For the service and support information, contact Benchmark Scientific by phone at , or , info@benchmarkscientific.com. 4 Benchmark Thermal Cycler User Manual

5 A Instrument Overview A [ INSTRUMENT OVERVIEW ] 1. Instrument Components Lid Knob Touchscreen Lid Lid Handle USB Port Air Vent Figure 1 Front View of Thermal Cycler Air Vent Power Switch Power Inlet USB Slave Ethernet Port Figure 2 Rear View of Thermal Cycler Table 1 Functions of Thermal Cycler Components Component Lid Lid Knob Lid Handle USB Port Touchscreen Air Vents Power Switch Power Inlet Ethernet Port RS232 Port Function Heats the top surface of reaction vessels to prevent sample evaporation and condensation. Regulates the height and force of lid. Opens and closes the lid. Connects to a USB flash drive. Views and controls the instrument. Allows air to circulate into and out of the instrument. Powers on (1) and powers off (0) the instrument. Connects the instrument to power socket via supplied power cable. Connects up to 255 Thermal Cyclers to a computer. Connects the instrument to a computer. Benchmark Thermal Cycler User Manual 5

6 A Instrument Overview 2. Menu Overview Table 2 and Figure 3 describe buttons and virtual keyboard common to many of the screens. IMPORTANT! To prevent damage, do not use sharp objects (such as a pencil) on the touch screen. Table 2 Buttons in the screens Button Function Returns to the Home screen. Closes current screen and returns to previous screen. Moves between pages (i. e., Page Up and Page Down). Scrolls left or right to view graph or curve. Accepts present parameters setting and closes the screen. Close the screen without changing any parameters. Runs a selected program or incubation mode. Text is entered with the virtual keyboard: Figure 3 Virtual keyboard To... Enter a number Enter a letter Touch... A number button. A letter button. Touch / to change between lowercase letters and uppercase letters. Join several words Delete the last character in an Underscore character input field Erase all characters 6 Benchmark Thermal Cycler User Manual

7 B Getting Started B [ GETTING STRATED ] 1. Installation 1.1 Site Requirements The Thermal Cycler is intended for indoor use. Ensure that the installation site meets conditions below. Power supply The Thermal Cycler has a universal, 85V-265V power supply and is supplied with a 3 prong plug. Be sure that the instrument is connected to a reliable power outlet that is rated to handle the load of the thermal cycler. Environmental Conditions Table 1 Temperature and humidity conditions: Condition Acceptable range Ambient temperature Relative humidity 10 to 30 C (50 to 86 F) 20 to 80%, noncondensing Place the Thermal Cycler on a level table or bench. Avoid placing the instrument adjacent to heaters, cooling instruments, sinks or in direct sunlight. Keep away from any equipment that vibrates, such as a refrigerator or centrifuge. The recommended distance between the instrument and the back wall is 20 cm (7.9 in). Two thermal cyclers can be placed side by side. 1.2 Unpacking 1. Remove the packaging materials and keep in case of shipping damage to the unit. 2. Inspect the instrument for shipping damage. 3. Included in the box should be: Thermal cycler with block Appropriate power cord User Manual (this manual) Warranty registration card (to be completed and returned) IMPORTANT! If the Thermal Cycler is damaged or some items are missing or damaged, contact Benchmark Scientific. 4. Move to the desired installation site. 1.3 Power On and Power Off 1. Connect the power cord to the power inlet in the rear of the instrument. 2. Connect the 3-prong plug of the power cord to the wall socket. Make sure the power cord is connected to both power inlet and socket firmly. To power on: Turn the power switch to position 1. To power off: Turn the power switch to position 0. When the instrument is not used for extended periods of time, disconnect the power cord from the wall socket. Benchmark Thermal Cycler User Manual 7

8 B Getting Started 1.4 Open and Close Lid The lid of the Thermal Cycler can be adjusted to come into contact with and apply pressure to the tops of the reaction vessels. Heating of the lid protects samples from condensation. IMPORTANT! Temperature of the lid can be very high (105 C/221 F or higher). Never touch the inner surface of the lid when the temperature is above 43 C. To open the lid: 1. Turn the lid knob counterclockwise (see the Loosen arrow symbol on the top surface of the lid knob) to raise the pressure plate. 2. Grasp the lid handle so that the handle clamp is pulled toward the lid handle. Lid Handle Lid Knob Handle Clamp Chassis 3. Lift up the lid handle until the lid opens vertically. You can then place reaction vessels in the sample block or remove samples from the block. To close the lid: 1. Place reaction vessels into the wells of the sample block. 2. Hold the lid handle and handle clamp, and then let the lid touch the chassis until you hear click sound. The lid will be locked in place. 3. Turn the lid knob clockwise (see the Tighten arrow symbol on the top surface of the lid knob) to reduce the lid height until resistance is felt. Then continue to turn the lid knob clockwise until you hear click sound. The lid is now pressing on the reaction vessels. 8 Benchmark Thermal Cycler User Manual

9 B Getting Started 2. Home Screen When the instrument powers on, the boot screen is displayed for several seconds. The Home screen is then displayed (see below). a Items in the Home screen: a. Information Bar: lid temperature, block temperature (when the instrument is idle or when running program which set temperature control mode as Block) or sample temperature (when running program which set temperature control mode as Sim-tube) and estimated remaining run-time. b. Shows date, day and time. b Home Screen Buttons Button Function When login is enabled, touch this button to logout the current user. Opens Run screen. LastRun Programs Go to list of the last 10 run programs. Go to list of folders, which contain all saved Program Library programs. Program Wizard Creates new program quickly. Sets instrument parameters and shows other System Setting tools. Configures shortcut for functions or Empty Shortcut programs. Program Shortcut Shows a selected program shortcut. Benchmark Thermal Cycler User Manual 9

10 C Manage Folders, Programs C [ MANAGE FOLDER & PROGRAM ] 1. Manage Folder 1.1 Program Library Screen In the Home screen, touch Program Library. The Program Library screen opens. The table lists all available folders. Folder names include the number of programs in parentheses. Touch the header of the first or second column of the table to sort all folders. Touch (Page Up) and (Page Down) to move between pages. The Preset folder contains ten preinstalled programs: 3Step_2000, 3Step_1000, 3Step_500: for amplifying less than 2kb, 1kb, 500bp nucleic acid templates using three-step PCR. 2Step_PCR: two-step PCR. Touchdown1 and Touchdown2: Touchdown PCR. Long_PCR: for amplifying of extra-long nucleic acid chain. RT_PCR: for synthesizing DNA from RNA by reverse transcriptase. Ligation_16C: for connecting segmental DNA with vector DNA at 16 C. Enzyme_37C: for ordinary enzyme reaction at 37 C. Programs in the Preset folder cannot be renamed or deleted. To modify a program in the Preset folder, edit the program and then save to another folder (see chapter D). Or copy the program to another folder (see 2.3 Copy Program ), and then modify it. The Public folder is a system folder and used as the default f for saving programs. When login is enabled, all users have access to the Public folder. When plugging a flash drive into the USB port, a USB icon appears. Touch this icon to open the USB folder. The USB folder contains programs that are stored in the USB flash drive. Programs can be copied to and from the USB flash drive. 10 Benchmark Thermal Cycler User Manual

11 C Manage Folders, Programs Program Library Screen Buttons Button View Function Shows programs of selected folder. New Creates a new folder. Rename Renames a selected folder. Delete Deletes a selected folder. 1.2 Add Folder To add a folder: 1. In the Program Library screen, touch New. 2. In the New Folder screen, enter a folder name. 3. Touch Ok to accept changes and close the screen. The folder name is not case sensitive. 1.3 Rename Folder To rename a folder: 1. In the Program Library screen, select a folder and then touch Rename. 2. In the Rename Folder screen, Clear the old folder name, enter a new name, and then touch Ok to accept changes. The Preset folder, Public folder and USB folder cannot be renamed. 1.4 Delete Folder To delete a folder: 1. In the Program Library screen, select a folder and then touch Delete. A pop-up window appears. 2. Touch Yes in the displayed pop-up window to delete the folder. The Preset folder, Public folder and USB folder cannot be deleted. IMPORTANT! When you delete a folder, all programs saved in the folder will be deleted at the same time. Benchmark Thermal Cycler User Manual 11

12 C Manage Folder, Programs 2. Manage Programs 2.1 View Program Screen 1. In the Home screen, touch Program Library. 2. In the Program Library screen, select a folder and then double click it or touch View to open the View Program screen opens. Touch the header of the first or second column of the table to sort all programs. View Program Screen Buttons Button Function Views and/or edits program steps (see View/Edit chapter D for details). Creates a new program (see chapter D for New details). Rename Renames a selected program. Copy Copies program between folders. Delete Deletes a selected program. Runs a selected program (see chapter E for Run details). 2.2 Rename Program To rename a program: 1. In the View Program screen, select a program and then touch Rename. 2. In the Rename Program screen, Clear the old program name, enter a new name, and then touch Ok to accept changes. The program name is not case sensitive. Programs in the Preset folder cannot be renamed. 12 Benchmark Thermal Cycler User Manual

13 C Manage Folders, Programs 2.3 Copy Program To copy a program: 1. In the View Program screen, select a program and then touch Copy to open the Copy Program screen. 2. In the Copy Program screen, select a Target Folder in the drop-down list box, and then touch Copy to copy the program. If you want to: a. Rename the program before copy - Touch Clear to clear the old Program Name, and then enter a new name. b. Create a new target folder to copy the program to - Touch New Folder to open the New Folder screen, enter a folder name, and then touch Ok to return the Copy Program screen. c. Touch Export to copy the program to a USB flash drive. 2.4 Delete Program To delete a program: 1. In the View Program screen, select a program and then touch Delete. A pop-up window appears. 2. Touch Yes in the displayed pop-up window to delete the program. Programs in the Preset folder cannot be deleted. 2.5 View Last Run Program In the Home screen, touch Last Run Programs. The Last Run Programs screen opens. The Last Run Programs screen has the same appearance as the View Program screen, but shows the recently run ten programs for quick viewing and repeat runs. Touch Clear to clear the program list. The Rename and Copy buttons are not available in the Last Run Programs screen. Benchmark Thermal Cycler User Manual 13

14 D Programming D [ PROGRAMMING ] 1. Create New Program 1.1 Edit Program Screen 1. In the Program Library, select a folder and then double click it or touch View to open the View Program screen. 2. In the View Program screen, touch New to open the Edit Program screen. To open the Edit Program screen more quickly, you can put the New Program shortcut in the Home screen (see Configure Shortcut for details). The Edit Program screen is used to create, view and edit programs. After adding several steps, the screen looks like below: a b c d Items in the Edit Program screen: a: Step number. b: Temperature for a constant temperature step. c: Step holding time (hour: min: sec). d: The start step number and amounts of additional repeats for cycles. 14 Benchmark Thermal Cycler User Manual

15 D Programming Edit Program Screen Buttons Setting steps of a program are carried out via the buttons: Button Function Sets temperature control mode and lid Head temperature. Temp Adds a constant temperature step. Goto Return to a former step and repeat Edit Edits a step. Delete Deletes a step. Save Saves the created program. Save as Saves another copy of the opened program. Run Runs the program. 1.2 Set Temperature Control Mode and Lid Temperature 1. In the Edit Program screen, touch Head. The Head screen opens. 2. Select temperature control mode and lid temperature control mode and then touch Ok to accept changes. The Sim-tube mode controls the process of heating the sample block to include the sample volume in the equation (ie a larger sample volume requires a longer time to reach temperature). Block mode does not consider sample volume and simply heats the block to the set temperature. Benchmark Thermal Cycler User Manual 15

16 D Programming Sim-tube is the preferred control method, especially when reaction steps are 30 seconds less. It is important to input sample volumes for the most accurate dwell times. For lid temperature control, it is recommend to select a temperature five to ten degrees Celsius above the highest temperature of the program steps (e.g., the pre-denaturation step) to protect sample from evaporation and condensation. The lid heating will automatically turn off when block temperature is below 30 C. The lid will heat to the specified temperature before the actual program starts running. Setting a lid temperature below ambient will cause the program to stall. 1.3 Add Step A PCR program comprises several steps. Each new step will be inserted after the selected step while the initial step will be inserted without selecting a step. The maximum amount of steps for a program is 30. Constant Temperature Step 1. In the Edit Program screen, touch anywhere in the column for a step to select it. When the step is selected, the background becomes blue. 2. Touch Temp and the Temp Step screen opens. 3. Edit Temperature and Time. The allowable temperature range is from 0.0 C to 99.9 C, with 0.1 C interval. The allowable time range is from 00:00:00 to 09:06:06 hour: min: sec. If you touch Pause, the program will automatically pause as soon as the desired step temperature is reached and the instrument will beep once. Touching Resume will continue the program running. Pause can be used to add reagents (ie hot start) or when adding or removing tubes during a step. Touching Forever will cuase the program to hold indefinately after reaching this step until it is stopped manually. Steps cannot be added after a forever step. 16 Benchmark Thermal Cycler User Manual

17 D Programming 4. You can also set options for a step. Increment Temp adds temperature increments to step with each cycle. To set the Increment Temp function: Touch to shift between + and (to increase or decrease temperature for each cycle), and then enter the number of degrees of temperature in the textbox. The allowable temperature range is 0.1 C ~ 10.0 C. Parameters cannot be set that would cause a step to fall outside of the operating range of the instrument (ie below 0 C or above 99.9 C). Increment Time Adds time increments to the holding time within the step for each cycle To set the Increment Time function: Touch to shift between + and (to increase or decrease time for each cycle), and then enter the seconds in the textbox. The allowable time range is 1 sec ~ 120 sec. Parameters cannot be set that would allow the dwell time to fall below zero. Slow Ramp Adjust the heating or cooling ramp rate. To set the Slow Ramp function: Enter the value of ramp rate in the textbox. Input range is 0.1 ~ 6.0 C /sec. The actual maximum ramp rate of heating and cooling varies with block module type. Refer to the instrument specifications for the maximum value. If a value larger than the block s maximum rate is entered, the block s maximum rate will be used. If you do not want to slow the running, leave this option empty. 5. Touch Ok to accept changes and close the screen. 1.4 Set Cycle 1. In the Edit Program screen, select a step that you want to set as the last step of a cycle. 2. Touch Goto and the Cycle Step screen opens. Benchmark Thermal Cycler User Manual 17

18 D Programming 3. From the Step drop-down list box, select the start step number of the cycle. The steps between the last step and the start step will run repeatedly for the specified cycle numbers. 4. Touch Cycles to add additional cycle numbers. Allowable entered cycle numbers range: The actual cycle numbers will be N+1 where N stands for the entered cycle numbers. To perform a PCR reaction with 30 cycles, then you should enter a number of Edit Step 1.6 Delete Step 1.7 Save Program 5. Touch Ok to accept changes and close the screen. 1. In the Edit Program screen, select a desired step. 2. Touch Edit to edit the step parameters. 3. Touch Ok to accept changes and close the screen. 1. In the Edit Program screen, touch a step to select it. 2. Touch Delete. A pop-up window appears. 3. Touch Yes in the displayed pop-up window to delete the step. 1. In the Edit Program screen, touch Save or Save As to display the Save As Program Screen. 2. The current date and time are used as a default name. A new name can be entered. The name is case insensitive and can be up to 30 characters. Default program name: _ last two digits of year month day hour minute 3. From the Folder drop-down list box, select a folder to save the program to. To create a new folder to save the program, touch New Folder, and enter a 18 Benchmark Thermal Cycler User Manual

19 D Programming folder name of up to 30 characters. 4. Touch Run to both save and run the program. Or touch Save to save but not run the program. Or touch Export to save the program to a USB flash drive. 2. Edit Program To edit a program: 1. In the Home screen, touch Program Library. 2. In the Program Library screen, select a folder and then double click it or touch View. 3. In the View Program screen, select a program to be edited and then and then double click it or touch View/Edit. 4. In the Edit Program screen, you can edit the program and then save and/or run it following the instructions described above. 3. Program Wizard Function The Program Wizard function provides a quick method to create a standard three-step or two-step PCR program and perform running. 1. In the Home screen, touch Program Wizard. The Program Wizard screen opens. There are two screens, touch Next and Last to shift between them. Benchmark Thermal Cycler User Manual 19

20 D Programming 2. In the first screen, edit Temperature Control mode and Lid Temperature Control mode. You can leave these parameters as default because the default parameters can meet most PCR reactions. 3. In the second screen, touch and edit parameters of each step. Keep parameters of a step empty to exclude the specified step. You can touch Graph to view the graphical representation of the program. Allowable temperature range: 0.0 C to 99.9 C. Allowable time range: 00:00 to 99:59 min: sec. Allowable number of cycles: The actual cycle numbers will be equal to the entered cycle numbers. So if you would perform a PCR reaction with 30 cycles, then you should enter a number of Touch Save to save program or touch Run and then select whether save the program before running according the displayed message in the pop-up window. 20 Benchmark Thermal Cycler User Manual

21 F System Setting E [ RUN PROGRAM ] 1. Load Samples 1. Place PCR tubes or a microplate in the sample wells of the sample block. IMPORTANT! Do not touch the surface of the sample block or lid surface because they may be very hot (105 C/221 F or higher)! The caps of the tubes or film on the microplate must be sealed tightly to prevent sample evaporation. Tubes or microplates should have heat resistance of up to about 120 C. For best results, use thin walled tubes designed for PCR. The sample wells of the sample block should keep clean. The height of tubes should be the same so that the lid can keep stable and gives even pressure on each tube. 3. Close the lid and turn the lid knob clockwise (see the Tighten arrow symbol on the top surface of the lid knob) until you hear click... sound. 2. Select Program to Run From the Home screen: 1. To select a last run program: Touch Last Run Programs, select a program and then touch Run. To select a program saved in a folder: Touch Program Library, select the desired folder and then touch View to open the View Program screen. Select a program from the list and touch Run. After you touch Run, the Set Run Options screen opens. 2. In the Set Run Options screen, edit Temperature Control and Lid Temperature Control. 3. Touch StartRun to begin the run. The Run screen opens. Benchmark Thermal Cycler User Manual 21

22 E Run Program 3. View Run State and Control Run 3.1 View Run State Run Screen You can view the status of run using the Run screen below. a b c d The items displayed on the Run screen: a: In the top bar are the colored status light (the colored status light stays green during running, changes to orange after touching the Pause button, changes to red when an error arises and changes to white after stopping a run) and the run status: Lid : lid temperature; Block or Sample : block temperature (when the instrument is idle or when temperature control mode is Block) or sample temperature (when temperature control mode is Sim-tube); Cycle : current cycle numbers / total cycle numbers; 11:41:53 : Current Time. b: Program/ Folder name (and Creator of program when login is enabled). If you create a new program to run but did not save it, the program will be given a default name Admin and will be saved in a temporary folder Temp. After run, the temporary program will not be recorded in the list of the Last Run Programs screen. c: Options: Pause: preset pause; X C/Cyc: Increment or decrement temperature; X S/Cyc: Increment or decrement time; X C/S: Ramp rate. d: The recent run message. 22 Benchmark Thermal Cycler User Manual

23 F System Setting Buttons on the Run screen: Button Function Pause/ Resume Pauses and Resumes run. Skip Skips run step. Stop Gradient Stops run. Views bar chart of sample block temperature. Curve Views real-time temperature record curve. View Timer Views run time. Run Again Edit Runs program again. Opens Edit Program screen to edit the program. Report Views run report. View Run Timer 1. In the Run screen, touch View Timer to view run time: Time Elapsed shows the time (hour:min) since the run has started. Time Remaining shows the estimated remaining time (hour:min). 2. Touch to return to the Run screen. The actual remaining time may slightly differ from that shown. View Bar Chart of Sample Block Temperature 1. In the Run screen, touch Gradient to view the temperature of each column of sample block in real-time. Benchmark Thermal Cycler User Manual 23

24 E Run Program Step Time: the countdown holding time of the current step after the step temperature reached the setting value. 2. Touch to return to the Run screen. View Temperature Record Curve 1. In the Run screen, touch Curve to view the temperature record curve. 2. Touch to return to the Run screen. View Run Report 1. In the Run screen, touch Report to open the Run Report screen. The report contains records of run start time, run stop time, and manual operations during running. Touch Export to export the report in BMP format to a USB flash drive. 2. Touch to return to the Run screen. 3.2 Control Run Pause Run In the Run screen, touch Pause and the system will beep twice. The temperature will continue increase or decrease until it reaches the setting temperature of a step. After paused, the Pause button changes to Resume button, and you must touch Resume to continue the program. Skip Run Step In the Run screen, touch Skip to skip the current running step and run the next step. Stop Run In the Run screen, touch Stop and then touch Yes in the displayed pop-up window. Run Program Again In the Run screen, if the running program stopped, touch Run Again to run it again. 24 Benchmark Thermal Cycler User Manual

25 F System Setting F [ SYSTEM SETTING ] 1. System Setting Screen In the Home screen, touch System Setting. The System Setting screen opens. System Setting Screen Buttons Button About Incubation Function Shows product information Performs a constant temperature incubation experiment. Gradient Calculator Non-functioning View Report Views stored run reports. Tm Calculator Calculates Tm value of a primer pair. Check This function is reserved for service. Configure Shortcut Configures functions or programs shortcuts. Admin Options Login Password Sets instrument parameters. When a user other than admin is logged in, the Admin Options icon will change to Login Password icon. The user can edit their login password using this function. 2. About To view product information about the Thermal Cycler: 1. In the Home screen, touch System Setting. 2. In the System Setting screen, touch About and the About screen appears. 3. When you finish, touch Ok to return to the System Setting screen. Benchmark Thermal Cycler User Manual 25

26 F System Setting 3. Incubation The Incubation function is used to perform a constant temperature incubation experiment such as DNA ligation or RNA digestion. 1. In the Home screen, touch System Setting. 2. In the System Setting screen, touch Incubation. 3. In the Incubation screen, enter the required incubation temperature. If you select Lid On, the lid will heat to reach 10 C above the incubation temperature by default. 4. Touch Start Run to run the Incubation program and the Run screen opens. 5. In the Run screen, you can view block temperature (by touching Gradient), view temperature record curve (by touching Curve) and run time (by touching View Timer). You can stop running by touching Stop. The Pause, Skip, RunAgain, Edit, Report buttons are not available in the Run screen under Incubation mode. 4. Gradient Calculator 5. View Report This button does not function. 1. In the Home screen, touch System Setting. 2. In the System Setting screen, touch View Report to open the screen: 3. Select a report and double click it or touch Show to open the Run Report screen. 4. After you finished, touch to return to the View Report screen. 5. In the View Report screen, you can touch Clear to clear all reports. 6. After you finish, touch to return to the System Setting screen. 6. Tm Calculator The Tm Calculator is used to calculate the Tm (melting temperature) and Ta (annealing temperature) for a primer pair. 1. In the Home screen, touch System Setting. 2. In the System Setting screen, touch Tm Calculator to open the screen. 26 Benchmark Thermal Cycler User Manual

27 F System Setting 3. Enter the salt concentration and the primer concentration. 4. Enter each primer sequence and then touch Calculate to view the Tm value of each primer, the average Tm value and the Ta value. In order to develop a successful PCR reaction, it may be necessary to select a different Ta value from the value on the screen. 5. After you finish, touch to return to the System Setting screen. 7. Check This function is reserved for service. 8. Configure Shortcut Shortcuts appear on the Home screen and can access various functions or programs. When login is enabled, each user can configure different shortcuts. To configure shortcuts: 1. In the Home screen, touch: Any button labeled with Shortcut or System Setting, then Configure Shortcut. The Configure Shortcut screen opens. Benchmark Thermal Cycler User Manual 27

28 F System Setting 2. In the Configure Shortcut screen, touch a check box next to a function on the right of the screen to select a function as a shortcut. 3. If you want to select a program as a shortcut, touch Select Program. 4. In the Select Programs for Shortcut screen, select a folder from the Folder drop-down list box and programs of the selected folder will appear. Touch the header of the first or second column of the table to sort all programs. Touch a program to select it and then touch Ok to return to the Configure Shortcut screen. The program will appear in the left side list box. 5. When you finish, touch Ok to return to the Home screen. The selected function or program will appear in the Home screen. You can select no more than six functions and/or programs as Shortcuts. To deselect a shortcut on the Home screen, you need to touch System Setting again, and then touch Configure Shortcut. In the Configure Shortcut screen, unselect the check box for deleting a function shortcut, or select the program from the program list and then touch Delete Program for deleting a program shortcut. 9. Admin Options The Admin Options is used to control access mode, set thermal cycler name/ip address, set date/time, set run-time accuracy, and manage user accounts. When login is enabled, only admin can see the Admin Options button. To use Admin Options functions: In the Home screen, touch System Setting, then Admin Options. The Admin Options screen opens. 28 Benchmark Thermal Cycler User Manual

29 F System Setting 9.1 Access Control The Access Control is used to protect personal programs and folders and limit ordinary users to modify instrument parameters. To enable the Access Control: When login is enabled, log in as admin. 1. In the Home screen, touch System Setting. 2. In the System Setting screen, touch Admin Options. 3. In the Admin Options screen, touch Access Control. The Access Control screen opens: 4. To enable the Access Control function, touch Require Login. a. To allow anyone to create a new account in the Login screen, touch Allow Create New Account by Anyone. b. To allow an anonymous user to login, touch Enable Guest Account. c. To allow login without password, touch Allow Login without Password. 5. Touch Ok, and restart the instrument by turning off the power switch. After enabling the Access Control, you must login as a user on the Login screen (see below) before you can use the instrument. Benchmark Thermal Cycler User Manual 29

30 F System Setting 6. After you finished experiment, touch in the Home screen to logout. 9.2 Thermal Cycler Name/IP To enable network control function, you need to set the IP address and a unique Thermal Cycler Name for each instrument. When login is enabled, log in as admin. 1. In the Home screen, touch System Setting. 2. In the System Setting screen, touch Admin Options. 3. In the Admin Options screen, touch Thermal Cycler Name/IP. 4. In the Thermal Cycler Name/IP screen, set a unique Thermal Cycler Name and IP address. The name can be up to 30 characters. 5. When you finish, touch Ok to return to the Admin Options screen. 9.3 Set Date/Time To set Date/Time (When login is enabled, log in as admin ): 1. In the Home screen, touch System Setting. 2. In the System Setting screen, touch Admin Options. 3. In the Admin Options screen, touch Date/Time. 4. In the Date/Time screen, enter today s date and current time. 5. Touch Ok to accept changes and return to the Admin Options screen. 9.4 Run-time Accuracy The Run-time Accuracy function is used to adjust coefficient of estimated remaining run time when the original estimated time is not accurate. 9.5 User Message The User Message function is used to manage user accounts. To manage user accounts (When login is enabled, log in as admin ): 1. In the Home screen, touch System Setting. 2. In the System Setting screen, touch Admin Options. 3. In the Admin Options screen, touch User Message. 4. The User Message screen lists all accounts currently available. Touch the table column header to sort all users. 30 Benchmark Thermal Cycler User Manual

31 F System Setting admin : controls all Admin Options screen functions. The default password for admin is admin. Guest : can create, rename, copy, modify, save, delete and run programs that stored in Public Folder, Guest Folder and USB Folder. All other users: can create, rename and delete non system folders; create, rename, copy, modify, save, delete and run programs; set his or her shortcuts; modify his or her login password (in the System Setting screen after login). In the User Message screen: a. To create a new user account, touch Create to open the Create User screen. Enter user name and password (case sensitive) of no more than 30 characters. b. To edit user password, select a user and then double click it or touch Edit to open the Edit Password screen. Enter new password and touch Ok. c. To delete a user account, select a user and then touch Delete. Touch Yes in the displayed pop-up window to delete the user. Benchmark Thermal Cycler User Manual 31

32 PO Box 709 Edison, NJ USA Phone: Fax: